The Bedford Boys Book Review - 825 Words

The Bedford Boys (Book Review Sample) Content: Name:Tutor:Subject:Date: IntroductionThe famous invasion that took part in June 6 1944 to help free the western region of Europe is a historical event. The story has been written by many authors and its effects discussed by many lips across the whole of America and Europe. One might wonder what more can be written about this invasion. However, not all these authors considered the touching story of the young lads who originated from Bedford in Virginia. Alex Kershaw tells the story in his book The Bedford Boys: One American Towns Ultimate D-day Sacrifice If one reads the book, one cannot help but wonder why a movie for World War II has not been made using this story. In Virginia, there is a small mountain called Bedford. Bedford had like 3000 residents, and jobs were scarce before the start of World War II. The scarcity of jobs pushed the young people of Bedford to join the National Guard services to support their meagre incomes. The National Guard paid the young men one dollar per day if they attended training. When the war started, the National Guard unit was absorbed into 116th infantry, which is also one of the units that were battered in Europe. When the D-Day came, Bedford was the biggest loser. The town lost more than twenty-one young men who laid dead around the Normandy beaches. The loss was so big that many people still feel sadness when they remember the tragedy. This explains why the National D-day Memorial is found in Bedford. It is possible that, the strong emotions come out because the story is based on the interviews and recollections of the families that suffered loss on the fateful day. As a result, the book is able to bring out the human side of the World War II. The story is told from two different perspectives, the soldiers and the families. The story is written long after the war, which means the author can show the negative and positive effects with evidence. It gives the reader a chance to relate with the effects of the w ar.In this book, Alex Kershaw, the author tells the story in a captivation manner. The reader is able to feel the life contained in the young lads who would later lose their lives mercilessly. According to Alexs narration, the young lads are not mere characters but rather they are sons, husbands, boyfriends and brothers who are alive. The book details the life of these men from the moment they start training to the time they lay dead on the beaches of France. The book presents strong feelings and the use of words enables one to relate with the characters. It is a particularly brutal book. In addition, one is able to get the feeling that Alex Kershaw was doing his research well. It is also pertinent to mention that the book displayed certain aspects of weaknesses. For starters, one is able to get the feeling that the author lacks a thorough understanding of military structure and functions. At one point, the author did the mistake of referring to the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) as standard submachine gun. In addition, when Kershaw is talking about the process that was done to re-establish the National Guard of Bedford, he points out that the members of the unit would be a part of the same unit again. Instead, they would be distributed into the different units inside the army. This might have been evident during the time when the United States Army went to Korea War. Regardless, the army has always insisted that National Guard Unit would be deployed together in any war. A critical examina...